A ban on feeding Venice’s famed flocks of pigeons took effect Wednesday. It’s an attempt to control the burgeoning number of birds blamed for spreading filth and ruining the city’s monuments.
Please don’t feed the pigeons.
A ban on feeding Venice’s famed flocks of pigeons took effect Wednesday. Nineteen pigeon-feed sellers on St. Mark’s Square immediately went out of business. They had long been granted licenses to sell packages of dried corn to tourists wanting snapshots of themselves covered with the birds.
A spokeswoman in Venice said people who feed the pigeons face fines from $80 to $775.
Mayor Massimo Cacciari pushed for the ban in an attempt to control the burgeoning number of pigeons blamed for spreading filth and ruining the city’s glorious facades and monuments.
The pigeon-feed sellers, who said they have been selling their wares on St. Mark’s Square for a century, remained up in arms and protested the ban with placards on their booths aimed at the mayor, including: “Curse the day I voted for you” and “Cacciari, what kind of Venetian are you?”
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
A pilot study to see if feeding pigeons birth control can lower their numbers at Vancouver’s SkyTrain stations has expanded to include eight stations in the region.
The program works by installing a feeder and a camera on TransLink property at stations where there’s a pigeon problem. The feed contains OvoControl, a product that interferes with birds’ eggs’ ability to hatch.
As the birds who call the stations home die of natural causes, researchers and TransLink staff hope there won’t be as many young birds to take their place, and pigeon numbers will decrease over time.
“We think TransLink can be a real leader in humane wildlife control,” Sara Dubois, the BC SPCA’s chief scientific officer, told Daily Hive in a phone interview.
“We’re trying to manage them in a way that’s safe for them and for trains.”
Dubois and the UBC graduate students she’s working with installed the first feeder in January 2019.
Now, the program has been expanded to include eight stations for the study. Four stations feed birds OvoControl, and the other four contain regular food. Over time, the researchers will see whether the birth control significantly reduces pigeon flocks at stations.
It’s still possible for new birds to travel to the stations, Dubois said. But if they stay and eat the birth control consistently, their reproductive abilities will soon be curbed as well.
Pigeons have long caused problems for the transit authority, because their presence on tracks can stop trains and delay customers. Staff also have to spend time cleaning up their excrement from platforms.
Dubois recounted one incident where a pigeon nest caught on fire and service on the Expo Line had to be stopped for several hours.
Previously, TransLink has installed spikes and netting to keep pigeons out, but those methods haven’t been effective. Dubois doesn’t want to see the birds killed, and sees using birth control as an effective way to keep pigeons safe and trains moving.
TransLink and the BC SPCA aren’t revealing which stations have the birth control feeders so that the equipment doesn’t get vandalized. Dubois said that earlier this year they already had one camera and feeder go missing.
If the birth control proves effective, Dubois says it could be a relatively cheap way to reduce the number of birds causing SkyTrain problems.
“It’s really inexpensive compared to the cost of maintenance, cleaning, and trains being down,” she said.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
I’m ambivalent about pigeons. Growing up, I ignored them while neighbours fed hundreds on the pavement. I figured as an adult I’d ignore them as they flew past (and often into) the glass walls of my workplace too. What I didn’t anticipate was how much hate I’d see around me for the bird, how quickly and casually they’d be dismissed as stupid, and how gleefully people would refer to them as ‘sky rats’.
Was it always like this? In cave paintings dating from 4500 BCE Iraq, humans seem quite at peace with pigeons. At the Olympics, they still release doves to honour the trained pigeons that once carried race results across Ancient Greece.
In 1850, when the news service Reuters was launched, they had on their staff 45 pigeons trained to transmit headlines and stock updates. Britain had a National Pigeon Service during WWII. Before satellites, pigeons flew into enemy zones with tiny cameras. In 2016, American performance artist Duke Riley trained 2,000 of them to fly, their legs fitted with tiny LEDs, in choreographed formation over Brooklyn, for 30 minutes.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
The man known as “Pigeon King” is a lone duck when it comes to his pending trial. Arlan Galbraith has asked the judge presiding over his multi-million-dollar fraud case if he can represent himself. Galbraith is charged with fraud and bankruptcy act charges relating to his Waterloo-based business Pigeon King International, which folded in 2008. Galbraith sold thousands of pigeons to farmers and bought back their offspring to sell to other farmers. There was no end market for the birds, and farmers, both local, and across Canada and the US lost upwards of $20-million on pigeons.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
How do animals become problems? Drawing on interactionist theories of social problems and cultural geography, I argue that the construction of animals as problems relies upon cultural understandings of nature/culture relationships, which in turn entail “imaginative geographies.” Specifically, modernity posits a firm boundary between nature and culture. Animals have their place, but are experienced as “out of place”—and often problematic—when they are perceived to transgress spaces designated for human habitation. Relying on New York Times articles from 1851 to 2006, and articles from 51 other newspapers from 1980 to 2006, this article focuses on the process by which pigeons as a species were problematized. I contend that pigeons have come to represent the antithesis of the ideal metropolis, which is orderly and sanitized, with nature subdued and compartmentalized. While typified as a health issue, the pigeon’s primary “offense” is that it “pollutes” habitats dedicated for human use. The catch phrase “rats with wings” neatly summarizes society’s evaluations of, and anxieties about, this bird. This metaphor reflects a framing of pigeons by claims-makers that renders them out of place in the cityscape.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
We’ve all heard the warning: don’t feed rice to birds or don’t throw rice at weddings because birds will eat it. Fact is, rice cooked or uncooked won’t hurt wild birds at all. The rumor is that uncooked rice hits the bird’s tummy and then swells causing its stomach to explode. It’s simply not true. It’s not hot enough in a bird’s stomach to actually “cook” the rice. So, the rice doesn’t swell and cause any sort of an explosion.
According to Snopes.com, the rumor was perpetuated in a 1996 Ann Landers column. But, no need to worry. Birds eat rice during migration all the time, and they do just fine. While the rumor that eating rice kills birds isn’t true, fact is it’s been so popular that the rumor has pretty much killed the tradition of throwing rice at weddings. It may be for the best. Rice probably isn’t the easiest thing for churches to have to clean. Many people have switched from throwing rice to throwing white millet at weddings. It’s environmentally friendly for the birds, and it’s soft on the happy couple.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
Affectionately known by many as ‘rats with wings’, pigeons are one of the most unloved birds around. While some of us simply don’t like their presence because of their reputation for being dirty, others have a genuine phobia of them (peristerophobia).
Do pigeons really deserve their bad reputation however?
They carry more diseases than rats
Did you know that pigeons are the most unhygienic and messy of all the birds and they carry more harmful diseases to humans than rats do? One of the reasons for this is because they nest on their droppings which naturally, attracts mites. As a result, nearly all pigeons carry bird mite – a tiny insect which feeds off the bird and can cause humans to itch and scratch.
Bird fouling attracts insects
Pigeon fouling and nest materials also provide a home for many other insects including clothes moths, carpet beetle, fleas, flies and mealworm beetle which is why it can be such a nuisance to have them loitering around your home or business premises.
They can damage buildings
The uric acid present in pigeon faeces is highly corrosive and can cause extensive damage to metals and other materials it sits on for long periods of time. Furthermore, debris from flocks of pigeons often build up, backing up gutters and drains which can cause flooding and roof damage.
Nesting materials have also been known to cause faults in machinery, especially rooftop air conditioning units which are a prime nesting spot for these birds.
Pigeon droppings can cause accidents
Pigeon droppings can be slippery when wet, causing a slip hazard. This can be particularly problematic for the elderly and if you’re a business owner, you could be held accountable for any injuries sustained on your premises.
The bacteria, fungal agents and ectoparasites found in pigeon droppings can also cause a number of serious diseases including histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, toxoplasmosis and many more.
Clean-up costs can be high
Whether a pigeon problem is affecting your home or business premises, the presence of bird droppings and nesting materials can be messy, unsightly and dangerous. If you don’t want to put people off entering your premises or don’t want to risk damage being caused to your home or building, it’s important for regular cleaning to take place.
This often requires hiring a professional because they have all the proper cleaning products and can access areas which are difficult to reach. If you have a serious pigeon problem, you may have to do this on a regular basis which can become incredibly costly.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
Thousands of pigeons released during the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympic Games pooped on much of the audience after being frightened by ceremonial cannon fire.
Context
Tens of thousands of pigeons were released during the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympic Games. The claim that these birds pooped on the athletes after they were scared by ceremonial cannon fire originates with a single person: long-distance runner and WWII veteran Louis Zamperini. While it seems that some people truly got pooped on by pigeons during this incident, we can’t determine just how much of the audience was covered in excrement.
Origin
As the start of the 2020 Olympics approached in July 2021 (the games were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic), an old meme started to make its way around social media about how tens of thousands of pigeons pooped on the audience during the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games after they were scared by the noise of a firing cannon:
Generally speaking, there is some truth to this humorous anecdote. It should be noted that the above-displayed picture actually comes from the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, not the 1936 games in Germany.
When we first came across the pigeon meme, we had three immediate questions: Were thousands of pigeons released during the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games? Did these pigeons actually poop on the audience? And just how devastating was this doo-doo drop?
The answer to the first question is yes, approximately 30,000 pigeons were released during the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Olympic Games. The Star Tribune reported on Aug. 1, 1936, that 30,000 pigeons would be released and cannons would fire once German Chancellor Adolf Hitler announced the start of the games:
We were not able to find any newspaper articles from the 1930s that reported on a mass pooping event. To answer our second question — did the pigeons poop on the audience — we turned to a 2012 documentary produced by PBS about Jesse Owens. While the “American Experience” documentary focuses on Owens’ accomplishments and the historical impact of a Black man dominating the track and field event in front of a Germany chancellor who sought to showcase the superiority of the white race, long-distance runner and World War II veteran Louis Silvie Zamperini (whose life was turned into the 2014 film “Unbroken”) provided a humorous anecdote about another way that Hitler’s Olympics didn’t go as planned.
While we do not doubt Zamperini’s telling of this event, it does not answer our third question: Just how many people were pooped on during this incident? Did they only poop on the people in Zamperini’s vicinity? Furthermore, were the pigeons really scared by the cannon fire or was this just incidental?
Unfortunately, we have not been able to find an answer to these pressing matters.
What we can say is that thousands of pigeons were truly released during the 1936 Olympics (the photo above is from 1952, though) and that this anecdote about pooping pigeons originated with an athlete who was in attendance at these games. Just how messy of a situation this really was, however, we’ll leave up to your imagination.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
This year really has been one big weather roller-coaster. Mental, and now it looks like the Arctic is moving in to make 12.12.12 the coldest day, ever.
Not good.
Practically every lamp worth taking in London has gone as pigeons hunker down for the night. Think I’d rather have non-stop pissing rain than this. My beak was literally frozen solid this morning. I even had bits of frost on my toes. This afternoon I decided drastic action had to be taken, especially as Mart spent most of the day sitting as close as possible trying to keep warm. To be honest, I found it all a bit uncomfortable.
The good news is we managed to bag one of these on Leicester Square. Mart is sitting on it right now.
Just got to make sure neither of us roll over in our sleep. Could wake up to a nasty shock:
Still, least we’d have had warm arses for the night.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
Many thousands of pigeons lost their lives in WW2.
Carrier pigeons were widely used during WW1 since telephone and telegraph technology was too new to be reliable.
Though it occurred two decades later, carrier pigeons were once again relied upon to deliver important intel during WW2, despite the advances that had been made in communication technology.
They were relied upon due to their speed and intelligence, and the altitudes they could reach.
Carrier pigeons were able to carry messages back and forth over enemy lines, being credited with saving lives and aiding victory in many battles.
During WW2, hundreds of thousands of carrier pigeons were used by the American, British, French and German military and their bravery didn’t go unnoticed with pigeons being awarded the prestigious Dickin Medal.
The medal was introduced in December 1943 and is the decoration for valor awarded to animals.
32 WW2 pigeons were awarded the medal, including G.I. Joe, one of the United States most successful carrier pigeons.
Pigeons Used In Military operations
During WW2, pigeons used by the British military are credited with helping end Nazi rule in Europe.
Code named Columba, British pigeons were dropped in various locations throughout Europe with a cry for help from the British attached.
The message asked ordinary citizens to contribute to intelligence regarding life in occupation under the Nazi regime as well as military data.
More than 16,000 carrier pigeons were used in this mission and they uncovered many supporters and helped soldiers take out German regiments, as well as finding out important facts about camps and advancement plans.
Similar success stories come from all over the world, proving that carrier pigeons once again contributed to the ending of WW2 and carrying out rescue missions, saving lives and ensuring that vital intelligence ended up in the right hands.
Many of these pigeons have been stuffed and are on display around the world, shining a light on their service and educating the younger generations about the workings of WW2.
Perilous Journeys
As you can imagine, many carrier pigeons died in the line of duty.
Much like human soldiers or the many horses and dogs that were used in battle, not all of the pigeons were able to survive their mission.
Though, it’s important to note that many of them took bullets and were grievously injured, but still managed to deliver the message they carried into the right hands.
In addition to battle wounds, the Nazis often released falcons to kill the pigeons used by the American and British armies in an attempt to keep them from delivering the information they carried.
Salute to victory
While there are no exact numbers available, it’s thought that many thousands of carrier pigeons died during their service in WW2.
Many of them are commemorated and on display to this day, while others can only be remembered in other ways.
While carrier pigeons aren’t used to the same degree they once were, it’s important to preserve their place in history as part of the defeat of the Nazi party and the victory of those in opposition to the atrocities they committed.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
New research has shown that feral, untrained pigeons can recognise individual people and are not fooled by a change of clothes.
Researchers, who will be presenting their work at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Glasgow on Sunday the 3rd of July, have shown that urban pigeons that have never been caught or handled can recognise individuals, probably by using facial characteristics.
Although pigeons have shown remarkable feats of perception when given training in the lab this is the first research showing similar abilities in untrained feral pigeons.
In a park in Paris city centre, pigeons were fed by two researchers, of similar build and skin colour, wearing different coloured lab coats. One individual simply ignored the pigeons, allowing them to feed while the other was hostile, and chased them away. This was followed by a second session when neither chased away the pigeons.
The experiment, which was repeated several times, showed that pigeons were able to recognise the individuals and continued to avoid the researcher who had chased them away even when they no longer did so. Swapping lab coats during the experiments did not confuse the pigeons and they continued shun the researcher who had been initially hostile.
“It is very likely that the pigeons recognised the researchers by their faces, since the individuals were both female and of a similar age, build and skin colour,” says Dr. Dalila Bovet a co-author of this work from the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense. “Interestingly, the pigeons, without training, spontaneously used the most relevant characteristics of the individuals (probably facial traits), instead of the lab coats that covered 90% of the body.”
The fact that the pigeons appeared to know that clothing colour was not a good way of telling humans apart suggests that the birds have developed abilities to discriminate between humans in particular. This specialised ability may have come about over the long period of association with humans, from early domestication to many years of living in cities.
Future work will focus on identifying whether pigeons learn that humans often change clothes and so use more stable characteristics for recognition, or if there is a genetic basis for this ability, linked to domestication or to having evolved in an urban environment.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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LITTLE ROCK — Missing for months, colorful flocks of birds suddenly reappear.
And they’ve navigated with such precision – despite lengthy journeys with no maps – that they return to the same park, the same yard or even the same tree.
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Do they hear their way home?
That’s a new theory proposed by U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Jon Hagstrum, whose research suggests that birds navigate using earth’s low-frequency sound waves to identify the “address” of home.
“They are imprinting on the characteristic sound” of where they live, he told a crowd at the survey’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. “The terrain has characteristic frequencies. I think that is the sound they are listening to.”
He thinks that birds perceive the world as a vast sonic environment, hearing many frequencies bouncing off different landmarks, such as mountains and buildings, generated by the earth’s movement.
It has long been known that birds use celestial and magnetic compass senses to orient their flight. But how do they determine their location, so they can select the correct homeward bearing? That remains controversial.
Using a body of homing-pigeon data, along with weather records and atmospheric-modeling software, Hagstrum found strong correlations between pigeon races gone haywire and disrupted “infrasonic” waves.
Humans can’t hear infrasound, but birds can. These very low-frequency acoustic waves come from different natural sources, but particularly the subtle tremors of the earth’s crust – so each part of the planet has its own distinct “sonic signature.” And these infrasonic sounds travel thousands of miles, far longer than ordinary sound waves.
The finely calibrated and seasonal pull of migration is a longstanding mystery, especially to those of us who manage to miss well-marked exit ramps on the highway.
A creature weighing mere ounces can fly thousands of miles, through darkness and storm, then land at our modest feeder.
“Site specificity is fascinating,” said Bob Power, director of the Santa Clara County Audubon Society. “Birds return to the exact same backyard, or corner of the park, year after year. Anybody who has had a bird that disappeared for six months, and returned in the exact same spot, has to be puzzled. How do they do that?
“Many, many theories, from many different experts, have been put forth,” he said.
Birds wintering down in South America are unlikely to hear the sounds of their final Bay Area destination thousands of miles away, Hagstrum said. Rather, he proposes that they break up their journey into sections – then fly from one distinctive set of sounds, or “wave points,” to another.
Because they fly in flocks, younger birds learn these distinctive wave points while traveling with their elders. And when they get lost, they circle, perhaps to re-orient what they’re hearing, he said.
Hagstrum was intrigued by pigeon-racing disasters and, in his spare time, decided to investigate what went wrong.
The most infamous incident took place on June 29, 1997, at a celebration of Britain’s Royal Pigeon Racing Association’s 100th anniversary. More than 60,000 trained birds – the best of the best – were released from southern France. Then, the crowd anxiously awaited their arrival home in southern England.
Just a few thousand of the birds were ever seen again.
What happened? Pigeon fanciers fear losing one or two birds, but tens of thousands?
Hagstrum noticed a curious coincidence. That same morning, the Concorde supersonic transport plane was flying across the English Channel en route to New York from Paris. But its departure time was 8:30 a.m.- far earlier than the birds’ 10 a.m. release time.
Phoning the Concorde office, he asked: “Was your plane late that day?” Their response: “Are you a magician?It was two and a half hours late!”
“It was probably the most exciting moment of my career,” he said. “I realized I was onto something.”
He has analyzed three other botched races and also found sources of interrupted infrasonic sound waves.
SIGHT AND SMELL
Other theories hold that sight, smell or magnetism helps orient birds.
While sight and probably smell are useful for local orientation by pigeons, it is unlikely to help long-distance travel, Hagstrum said. Studies show that pigeons can find their lofts even when wearing frosted contact lenses. Secondly, they can’t smell very well. And although wind-borne odors could be brought from afar, it is difficult to imagine how birds, especially in a tail wind, could navigate accurately using odors delivered on variable winds.
He also dismisses the magnetism theory. While the magnetic sense of birds provides an excellent compass for orientation, geomagnetic fields make poor maps, he said. Research shows that pigeons usually depart from the release site in the direction of their home loft – and follow nearly straight-line courses along the way that are inconsistent with magnetic field gradients.
A magnetic map also cannot explain why pigeons have difficulty orienting over large bodies of water. But the infrasonic signals emitted by the earth ’s crust can be confused by similar signals emitted by water waves, he said.
Much work remains to be done, he said. Hagstrum, who studies the earth ’s magnetism in his day job as a geophysicist, hopes to publish the findings of his pigeon hobby in a peer-reviewed scientific journal within a year.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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In a rather surprising turn of events, it appears pigeons use their body to make sharp turns, rather than stronger wing strokes when flying. This bit of news comes from Ivo Ros of Harvard University and his colleagues who have been studying the bird’s flight skills with high speed cameras. They have published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Intuitively, it might seem, at least to humans who have no natural wings of course, that to turn, especially when sharp angles are involved, that flailing the wing harder or faster that is opposite the turn would be the most natural way to proceed. After all, that’s the approach us humans would use in water for instance, in trying to turn quickly. But that’s not how birds operate, at least not pigeons. Ros and his team set up nine high-speed synchronized cameras in a hall that had a ninety degree turn in the middle of it. They then marked a pigeon in sixteen places to track just exactly how each body part moved as it flew. They then set the bird to flying the hallway, capturing every detail and noting precisely what goes on with its body, wings, and tail as it turns. Surprisingly, it turned out that the pigeon neither flapped faster or harder, opting instead to simply turn or roll its body to adjust for the turn and allowing its wings to flap as they would were the bird heading straight. Once through the turn, the bird then readjusted its body to enable straight ahead flight.
While all this may not seem all that remarkable, after all, the pigeons have likely been turning in flight for more years than we have held interest in how they do so, the observations may provide important information for people wishing to improve on clunky old human flight, or more specifically, when trying to build drones that can fly better than what is available today.
It’s not hard to imagine the difference. Sending a drone down a narrow hall where it must negotiate a ninety degree turn is quite frankly, impossible at this point, though a helicopter, which perhaps not coincidently turns in ways very similar to the pigeon, could do it with ease. This is because it can slow down without losing lift. But if the drone could be made to maneuver its body as it turns, perhaps then it could perform maneuvers that the common pigeon takes for granted.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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2018 is becoming the year old memes come back to life.
When a 2011 meme called American Chopper re-emerged on Twitter in 2018, the BBC explored how a meme about two men arguing had lived a second life long after its first.
Now the feat has been repeated, as a 2011 image macro (a still picture with text imposed) asking if a butterfly is a pigeon has surged in popularity seven years later.
In the widely shared image, a character from a Japanese anime gestures towards a butterfly and asks: “Is this a pigeon?”
Is this an old meme?
The image can be traced back to Indizi dell’avvenuta catastrofe on Tumblr, who posted it as an example of amusing subtitles in anime.
It was used in 2011 as a reaction image – posted to show confusion or suggest another person’s opinion did not make sense.
Seven years after its original appearance online, the pigeon meme reappeared with text added to ask if “literally anything” was a “big mood” on Twitter.
A “big mood” is a Twitter term used to express approval or the fact a user agrees with or can identify with an item of tweeted content.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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Customs officials in Kuwait have apprehended a pigeon carrying drugs in a miniature backpack, Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai reports.
A total of 178 pills were found in the fabric pocket attached to its back, the newspaper says.
The bird was caught near the customs building in Abdali, close to the border with Iraq.
An al-Rai journalist said the drugs were a form of ketamine, an anaesthetic also used as an illegal party drug.
Abdullah Fahmi told the BBC that customs officials already knew pigeons were being used to smuggle drugs, but this was the first time they had caught a bird in the act.
Law enforcement officials elsewhere have, however, identified previous cases where pigeons have been used to carry lightweight high-value narcotics.
In 2015, prison guards in Costa Rica caught a pigeon carrying cocaine and cannabis in a zipped pouch.
And in 2011, Colombian police discovered a pigeon that was unable to fly over a high prison wall because of the weight of a package of cocaine and marijuana strapped to it.
Pigeons have been used to carry messages since Roman times, using their powerful “homing” ability.
Racing pigeons can return to their lofts from distances of hundreds of kilometres.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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An animal rights group stopped a planned pigeon shoot over the weekend, leaving the would-be marksmen to shoot down another target: The animal group’s aerial drone.
A group called SHARK, SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness, went to Broxton Bridge Plantation near Ehrhardt, S.C., on Sunday to video a live pigeon shoot, according to the Times and Democrat of Orangeburg, S.C. The group lofted a small Mikrokopter drone and planned to tape the shoot. Law enforcement officers and an attorney tried to stop the drone from flying, according to the T&D. The group persisted, and apparently the shooters got back in their cars to leave, said Steve Hindi, president of SHARK.
The drone took off anyway, and then several shots rang out. One eventually struck the drone and it spiraled to the ground, to the dismay of the SHARK representatives who were filming it from the ground. The T&D has video of it here.
Civilian use of drones is becoming more widespread, with sometimes strange and interesting results. Microdrones, the maker of the drone used in this case, previously unleashed a drone to chase African wildlife to get some new animal footage. Last month an amateur drone pilot spotted a river of blood streaming from a pig slaughter facility in Texas, prompting the Texas Environmental Crimes Task Force to launch an investigation. And paparazzi drones could soon be stalking celebrities.
With new rules governing drones in U.S. airspace taking effect this fall, stories like this could become more common.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
BAD AXE — A 24-year-old Pigeon man must spend about three more months in jail for stealing and pawning nearly $20,000 worth of jewelry belonging to a friend’s mother.
Matthew J. Rousse was sentenced to 120 days in the Huron County Jail, with credit for 29 days already served, and two years of probation.
Sentencing was delayed in September when Rousse was receiving in-patient substance abuse treatment, Bay City Times records show.
Rousse pleaded guilty in July to one count of larceny less than $20,000.
From Oct. 1, 2009, to March 5, Rousse took a $2,096 wedding band, a $3,180 diamond ring and various gold chains and charms, investigators said.
He pawned the goods in Saginaw and Bay City, authorities said.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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Managing pigeon numbers through shooting to prevent damage of crops is carried out in different ways at different times of year.
It’s a skill that takes time to learn. Successful pigeon shooting demands fieldcraft, reconnaissance skills and, needless to say, straight shooting.
An estimated 5.4million pairs of woodpigeons now live in the UK.
In 2014, the Government looked at the damage done by pigeons to crops and asked farmers to estimate how much it cost them. They estimated a figure of £75 million for woodpigeon damage to oilseed rape crops alone every year.
Brassicas are also great favourites of pigeons. Experts from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board estimated losses for farmers growing crops such cabbage, broccoli and kale to pigeons of between £330 and £1,250 per hectare. Cereal crops are also attacked, particularly when they are mature.
Fenland farmer Richard Gilbert said: “Here in the Fens it’s just a waste of time sowing a field with rape if there are any trees or hedges around the perimeter or power lines crossing the field.”
Types of pigeon shooting
Roosting pigeons
In this form of pigeon shooting the Gun shoots the pigeons as they are returning to the woods where they roost . All it requires is permission from the farmer or landowner, a gun, and cartridges.
The favoured roosting woods for pigeons contain fir trees, surrounded by hardwood trees such as beeches and oaks. The former provides warmth and shelter and the latter can provide food.
Roosting tends to take place at the end of the shooting season, from the end of January until about the end of March. Pigeon shooter and Shooting Times contributor Tom Payne advises: “I roost pigeons from November until the end of March but due to the shooting season most roost shooting doesn’t start until the end of February. The tree branches are still visible then and pheasant shooting has finished. “
Flighting pigeons
In this discipline you are shooting the pigeons as they are going from their roosting position to feed along their chosen flight line, or returning to roost on their way back from feeding.
First of all you need to discover an established pigeon feeding ground. While out of sight, so you don’t disturb any pigeons, watch the birds fly in and out, taking careful note of the lines they are taking. (A pair of binoculars is very helpful here.) Tom Payne advises: “Pigeons are creatures of habit and will follow a line religiously, so to be successful you have got to be close to it or under it.”
Decoying pigeons
Tom Payne: “To decoy pigeons you first have to find their chosen feeding field and then establish how they are getting there. That is your reconnaissance. The fieldcraft part of decoying is putting your hide in the correct place and placing your decoys correctly over their chosen food source.
Pigeon shooters use flappers, magnets and floaters, which are decoys that mimic the behaviour of live pigeons.
Pigeons feed in company. If they spot other pigeons feeding in a field they will come down to investigate the food source, whilst the shooter is obscured out of sight, gun at the ready.
Tom Payne advises: “Being in the right position is the key to being able to decoy pigeons successfully. Being in the wrong position by 40 yards can completely change the way birds react to your decoys. The way I decoy is to represent what I see during my reconnaissance. If birds are feeding in small groups spread apart, I will copy this when I put out my decoys. Birds feed differently on every crop. This is due to the amount and density of food available and the time of year.”
The flightlines of pigeons are not fixed and vary with changes in the wind and food. Pigeons need to adapt to survive, so the lines they follow are never quite the same.
During the winter months birds flock but as they move into the spring and summer months pigeons start to disperse from small groups into singles and pairs.
Decoys tend to work more successfully in the summer months because individual birds or pairs are coming out to feed, rather than flocking. It is easier to shoot individual birds and so harder to decoy during the winter months, when birds are flying together, unless you are shooting in wind conditions which break up the flocks.
What crops to shoot pigeons over and when
Oilseed winter rape, depending on its level of growth, will attract considerable pigeon attention. As you move into the spring months failed or backward rape will attract attention.
In February and March frosted crops such as cabbages, cauliflower and sprouts will attract their attention, as well as early spring clover.
In spring, the pigeon shooter will be focused on controlling pigeons from spring drillings to protect newly sown crops. The experienced shooter will know when the fields are being drilled from conversations with the farmer and will give the pigeons a few days to discover the new drilllings.
By April late spring drillings and peas can bring decent bags. Come June the pigeon shooter will be watching fields of peas or seeds.
Laid cereal crops will attract the attention of pigeons in July.
During harvest time pigeons can be found on almost any harvested crops. During hot weather they may well be discovered on remote drinking areas.
Your geographic location will also dictate when you are most likely to be successful on certain crops. Tom Payne advises: “Certain crops change depending on the weather that year. You could be shooting barley in early June. Follow the agricultural calendar and remember that the harvest is different in Cornwall from Scotland, the south could be a month ahead of the north. Always talk to a local about the conditions.”
How to get a pigeon shooting permission
Your local farmer or landowner will need to have confidence in the person asking for a permission so take the time to get to know them. They aren’t going to let anybody shoot their land unless they trust them. Shooting Times contributor Simon Garnham writes: “If you never ask, you’ll never know…. If the rape is being hammered by pigeons you may be the answer to a food producer’s prayer.”
Tom Payne says that the best time of year to ask for a permission is in the winter, particularly when pigeons are after winter rape. A farmer may be more receptive then as he wants his newly sown crops protected in the coming months.
When you speak to the farmer dress appropriately and don’t wear camouflage. You want to look approachable. It’s always worth writing a letter giving your experience and how you will go about pigeon shooting.
All aspects of the new general licence reviews should be followed and any possible changes adhered to.
You’ll find a full guide to getting pigeon shooting permission here.
Guns and ammunition for pigeon shooting
Use any gun in which you have confidence and which is a good fit. It could be an over-under, side-by-side or semi-automatic. Tom Payne’s favourite cartridge for pigeon shooting is a Hull High Pheasant Extreme 32g No 5 because “they are smooth and hard hitting”.
Shooting Times recently tested steel shot against lead shot for pigeon shooting and discovered that steel performs as well as lead. The shot penetrates deeper because it travels faster, passing straight through the bird rather than remaining within the carcass.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
The topknot pigeon is a large grey pigeon with a swept back crest that is grey in front and rusty red behind, giving the head a unique shape. It is darker grey above, with dark grey, rounded wings, and lighter grey below, with a pale tail band across the black tail. The eye and bill are red, and the bill has two large bluish-green bumps at the base. Females have a smaller, paler crest than males. Young birds resemble females, with more mottling and have a browner head with a much smaller crest. This species flies strongly and roosts high in tall trees. It may be seen feeding acrobatically among fruits, often hanging upside-down to reach them. It can be located by the sounds of falling fruit and its sharp screech while feeding.
Habitat
The Topknot Pigeon is found only in Australia, from Queensland, along the coast to Broken Bay, New South Wales. It is rare in Sydney but has been seen as far south as Tathra and Bega and occurs inland to Inverell. Some birds have been seen in eastern Victoria and single birds have been reported in Tasmania.
The Topknot Pigeon is found in rainforests and nearby wet forests and woodlands, especially along moist sheltered gullies. It can also be found in drier forests and will fly across open areas to feed in rainforests or disturbed areas such as remnant forest patches, cleared farmlands, exotic trees and shrubs, particularly Camphor Laurel and privet. It is very rarely seen in suburban areas but will forage on the outskirts of urban areas if Camphor Laurel and other fruits are available.
Nomadic and highly mobile, follows seasonal fruiting patterns. In Sydney, birds arrive from the north in autumn and winter. There is also some altitudinal migration, from coastal areas to highlands during spring and summer.
Diet
The Topknot Pigeon is frugivorous, feeding on a variety of rainforest fruits, as well as those of the introduced Camphor Laurels. They mainly feed in the upper canopy, hanging from branches, often upside-down, to reach fruit, flapping their wings loudly to keep balance. They can be detected by the quantities of fruit they dislodge and the loud screeching they make while feeding. They will travel long distances to find food, often in large, straggling flocks.
Reproduction
After an elaborate courtship of bowing and parading displays, with males also flying very high over canopy to attract females, the Topknot Pigeon forms monogamous breeding pairs. Both parents build the flat, loose and often flimsy stick nest in the crown of a tree, usually among bushy branches or vines, from 2 m to 12 m from the ground. Both sexes incubate the eggs and feed the young, using regurgitated ‘pigeon milk’ from their crops in the earliest stages. Adults call to their young when returning to the nest, and they are difficult to dislodge from the nest if disturbed, crouching protectively over their young until an intruder is quite close.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
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Common names: Rock pigeon, rock dove, domestic pigeon, common pigeon Genus and species: Columba Livia Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
A common sight in urban areas around the world, the pigeon is not native to North America. Rather, pigeons were introduced into North America in the early 1600’s. City buildings and window ledges mimic the rocky cliffs originally inhabited by their ancient ancestors in Europe.
The pigeon has a long history of association with humans, having been used for food and entertainment for over 5,000 years. Escaped pigeons from breeders readily form flocks, and other stray birds may join them, thus becoming a feral population. Because of their domestic roots, and because people have bred pigeons for many different colors and accessories, feral pigeons can have a variety of feathered looks[1].
The rock pigeon makes a flimsy nest, but it often reuses the same location repeatedly, even building a new nest on top of the last one. Because the pigeons do not try to remove the feces of their nestlings, the nest becomes a sturdy, mud-like mound that gets larger over time.
Homing pigeons, are well known for their ability to find their way back home from long distances and at high speed. Despite these demonstrated abilities, feral pigeons are rather sedentary and rarely leave their local areas. In fact, when relocated involuntarily, they can return – sometimes within hours – to their original location.
DESCRIPTION
Size: 11-14 inches
Wingspan: 20-26 inches
Weight: 9 – 13 ounces
Color variable, but wild birds are gray.
White rump.
Rounded tail, usually with dark tip.
Pale gray wings have two black bars.
TYPES OF PIGEON DAMAGE AND THE RISKS
Pigeons and their feces can cause damage to structures and represent health and safety risks. There is a range of methods to control them. Our detailed guide “How to Get Rid of Pigeons” addresses all the different control methods and describes them in some detail. The damage and risk from pigeons typically fall into these categories:
Pigeon droppings deface and accelerate the deterioration of buildings and increase the cost of maintenance. Large amounts of droppings may kill vegetation and produce an objectionable odor. A flock of just 100 pigeons can produce up to 4,800 pounds of guano, annually.
Pigeon manure deposited on park benches, statues, cars, and unwary pedestrians is an aesthetic problem. Around grain handling facilities, pigeons consume and can contaminate large quantities of food destined for human or livestock consumption.
Pigeons can carry and spread diseases to people and livestock through their droppings. Additionally, under the right conditions, pigeon manure may harbor airborne spores of the causal agent of histoplasmosis, a systemic fungus disease that can infect humans.
MORE PIGEON FACTS
Pigeons are found to some extent in nearly all urban areas around the world. It is estimated that there are 400 million pigeons worldwide and that the population is growing rapidly together with increased urbanization. The population of pigeons in New York City alone is estimated to exceed 1 million birds.
Sexes look nearly identical, although males are larger and have more iridescence on their neck.
Juveniles are very similar in appearance to adults, but duller and with less iridescence.
Pigeons are highly dependent on humans to provide them with food and sites for roosting, loafing, and nesting. They are commonly found around farm yards, grain elevators, feed mills, parks, city buildings, bridges, and other structures, although they can live anywhere where they have adequate access to food, water and shelter.
Pigeons feed in flocks and will consume seeds, fruits and rarely invertebrates, although can subsist just fine on street scraps.
Pigeons require about 1 ounce (30 ml) of water daily. They rely mostly on free-standing water but they can also use snow to obtain water.
The average pigeon requires 30 grams of dry matter per day, roughly 10% of their body weight.
PIGEON REPRODUCTION
Pigeons are monogamous and typically mate for life.
Female pigeons can reach sexual maturity as early as 7 months of age.
Pigeons build a flimsy platform nest of straw and sticks, put on a ledge, under cover, often located on the window ledges of buildings.
Eight to 12 days after mating, the females lay 1 to 3 (usually 2) white eggs which hatch after 18 days.
Condition at Hatching: Helpless, with sparse yellow or white down.
Chicks fledge (leave the nest) in 25-32 days (45 days in midwinter).
The male provides nesting material and guards the female and the nest.
The young are fed pigeon milk, a liquid/solid substance secreted in the crop of the adult (both male and female) which is regurgitated.
More eggs are laid before the first clutch leaves the nest.
Breeding may occur in all seasons, but peak reproduction occurs in the spring and fall. A population of pigeons usually consists of equal numbers of males and females. When populations suddenly decrease, pigeon production increases and will soon replenish the flock.
In captivity, pigeons commonly live up to 15 years and sometimes longer. In urban populations, however, pigeons seldom live more than 2 or 3 years. Natural mortality factors, such as predation by mammals and other birds, diseases, and stress due to lack of food and water, reduce pigeon populations by approximately 30% annually.
One of the most effective and humane ways of pigeon control is the Ovocontrol birth control program, which naturally decreases the pigeon population.
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Bird Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products ten years in a row.
Contact us at 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD, (604) 585-9279 or visit our website at www.pigeonpatrol.ca
Pigeon/Pigeon Patrol / Pigeons Roosting / Vancouver Pigeon Control /Bird Spikes / Bird Control / Bird Deterrent / Pigeon Deterrent? Surrey Pigeon Control / Pest /Seagull deterrent / Vancouver Pigeon Blog / Birds Inside Home / Pigeons in the cities / Ice Pigeons/ What to do about pigeons/ sparrows , Damage by Sparrows, How To Keep Raccoons Away, Why Are Raccoons Considered Pests/ De-fence / Pigeon Nesting/ Bird Droppings / Pigeon Dropping/ woodpecker control/ Professional Bird Control Company/ Keep The Birds Away/ Birds/rats/ seagull/pigeon/woodpecker/ dove/sparrow/pidgeon control/pidgeon problem/ pidgeon control/flying rats/ pigeon Problems/ bird netting/bird gel/bird spray/bird nails/ bird guard
